The Door Guru on Installing a Closer

Traditional wisdom says, “When one door closes, another one opens.” However, if you ask The Door Guru at B&M Metal Doors, He will tell you, “When one door closes, your automatic closer is working perfectly!

At B&M Metal Doors, we do more than just sell metal doors, frames and door hardware. We also advise our clients on the best way to install and configure the produts we sell based on their particular installation.

When working with door closers, there is a lot to take into consideration – configuration, placement, spring power, closing speed, latching and back check adjustments. The type of closer combined with these critical adjustments can make the difference between a door closing properly or not.

At B&M, we carry several different lines of door hardware. Picking the right door closer can depend on a few different factors including the customer’s preference and building specifications. Other factors to consider include:

Size and weight of the door

Location of the door

Opening and closing frequency

Mounting location

Backswing requirements

In today’s blog post we will discuss how to select, properly install and adjust your automatic door closers to ensure they work perfectly.

Critical Closer Points

After watching the following door closer installation videos, you’ll notice two major points that are the most absolutely critical – the closer configuration & placement and the adjustments.

Closer Configuration & Placement

Closer configuration depends on where the closer is to be installed on the door.

Standard Mount (Pull Side)

This is when the closer is mounted on the pull side of the door and the arm is attached to the face of the frame head.

Top Jamb installation (Push Side)

With this configuration the closer is mounted on the face of the frame head and the arm is attached to the door.

Parallel Mount (Push Side)

Utilizing the parallel mount position the closer is mounted to the door and a bracket is mounted to the soffit of the frame head, then the arm is attached to the bracket.

The Four Closer Adjustments

Spring Power Adjustment

Most modern closers have an adjustable spring for use with different size doors. The Install Instructions for your particular closer should have a chart that describes how many turn and what direction to turn for the Spring Adjustment.

Closing Speed

The Closing Speed Adjustment is meant to regulate the closing swing of the door from 90° to close.

Latching Adjustments

The Latching Adjustment is a fine tune adjustment from just before the point of closing where the door is close to the frame but not touching (within a couple of inches) to where the door is securely latched in the frame. The Latching Adjustment is particularly effective when the room or building has a positive airflow pushing on the door putting added air pressure when the door is closing.

Back Check Adjustment

This adjustment is for when the door is placed in a corner of a room. It is to keep the door from hitting the wall when the door is opened 90°. Adjusted properly the closer to 90° the door gets harder to push and will not open past 90° or slightly less.

Have Questions?

Don’t feel totally enlightened about installing and adjusting door closers? B & M Metal Doors & Frames LLC is always happy to help you with all your questions. If you have any situations during renovations or have new construction and you have any questions about metal doors and frames don’t hesitate, call us today! We will be more than happy to come out to your project and see what your Estimate requires.